The Kick Box - On Hip!

was going to get that Stoopid Wit yesterday but I got 12pack of the assorted Sierra Nevada. to early for the Pumking ..

 

Tonight I went out to dinner to the Stoneyard Brewing Company located in Brockport, NY. While I was there I had the following three beers, all on draft. Only one of the beers I had was made by Stoneyard.

The Bruery's 'White Oak'
The Bruery is outstanding and makes outstanding beers. I cannot say I was as impressed with this beer, but it's my first time ever drinking a wheatwine. While it has wine in its name, like barleywine, it is indeed a style of beer. Unlike barleywines, this beer centers around large amounts of wheat as opposed to barley, though is equally potent as barleywines. This one was 11.5% ABV. There is a lot of banana, clove, vanilla, caramel, bourbon and oak in the nose. Very boozy in both the aroma and the flavor, with some warmth in the mouthfeel. This beer is very sweet upfront, and the subtleties in flavor are very much in line with the aroma. Lots of banana and malt sweetness upfront with oak and bourbon undertones in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium and somewhat syrupy and slick. Overall rating: B-

Effortless IPA by Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
This is a very sessionable IPA clocking in at only 4.5% ABV. This beer is teeming with a crisp, juicy, citrus hop profile in its aroma and flavor. There is a huge grapefruit and pineapple presence in the nose of this beer. Very low bitterness at only 45 IBUs. Very earthy and somewhat grassy flavor in the finish, but upfront is just a juicy, citrus hop bomb. Very crisp, clean mouthfeel makes this a very refreshing yet flavorful IPA. High recommended to those who love citrusy IPAs. Rating A-

Stoneyard Sour Saison.
This is the one beer I had that was brewed on site. Overall a very mediocre yet still decent saison which was somewhat lacking in flavor. Very subdued sourness. Some sour fruits present in both the nose and flavor. Mouthfeel was light to medium with mild carbonation. Rating B-

 

When I came home I had some 'Cold Brew Coffee Lager' by Saranac. It is an amber lager brewed with coffee. It pours a beautiful brownish, amber-red color with a decent one-finger head that subsides to leave a faint lacing. The nose of this beer is very coffee dominant with some sweet, bready malts and faint herbal hops. Flavor is of coffee with some bready malts, vanilla and earthy hops. Crisp and light bodied with light carbonation. Very refreshing and drinkable beer. Overall rating B+.

 

My final beer of the night is a doozy in terms of its potency. It is an imperial IPA which clocks in at a whopping 13% ABV. It is Molotov Cocktail Single Simcoe Hop Edition by Evil Twin Brewing. I didn't go into this beer expecting much, since it only receives an 83 on BeerAdvocate and is one of Evil Twin's lowest scoring beers. The reviews for this beer are very mixed. Some people love it, while others hate it. The beer was also much lower in price (only $5.99 for this 22 oz. bomber), as compared to other beers from Evil Twin which are usually over $10 for the same size bottle. I must say I am somewhat pleasantly surprised. While the alcohol does stand out, this beer is very well balanced between hops and malts, and is somewhat sweeter than most IPAs because of the strong malt backbone. I am not a huge fan of simcoe hops, which some people say smell like cat piss, but this was decent and not too overpowering as some simcoe hopped beers are. There is some candied citrus in the nose, along with some sweetness from the malts. Flavorwise, it's citrusy, resiny, herbal hops with some pine noted, along with sweet, caramel malts. Alcohol is present, but not prominent for its ABV. Mouthfeel is somewhat syrupy. Reminds me more of a barleywine than an IPA Overall rating B+

 

Tonight I am drinking something I never imagined myself drinking until recently. I have seen this on the shelves for a while now, and I always assumed it was just some novelty, gimmicky alcopop type drink. The other day I saw this bottle which is 10.7% ABV and selling for $6.99 per 22 ounces. I was curious because this is within the price range that many relatively decent craft beers sell for. I looked it up on my phone and was surprised to see it scores a 92 on BeerAdvocate and gets rave reviews from people online. Still I was skeptical, but curious enough to pick up a bottle and see for myself. Turns out this indeed is a beer and not an alcopop. It's listed as a herbed/spiced beer. Just a few minutes ago I cracked open the bottle and am drinking it now. Yeah, it is pretty damn good and dangerously drinkable for its ABV, but I am still not so sure it's worthy of the high score it gets online. However, it is good and definitely drinkable. I would probably buy this again. It basically tastes just like regular root beer but with an alcoholic bite. Lots of vanilla and spice in both the nose and the taste. This is pretty much just as sweet as any non-alcoholic root beer. The body is rather thin, but thicker and creamier than regular root beer. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised, but I could not see myself drinking anymore than a 22 oz. bottle because it is so sweet.

There are three versions of this beer. One is 5.9%, one is 10.7% (the one I am drinking now), and another one is 19.5%. The 19.5% one scores slightly higher at 93 on BeerAdvocate. However, I have not seen that one on the shelves.

Overall rating: B+

 

Moving on to something a bit lighter, this is Clown Shoes Mango American Kolsch, a kolsch brewed with mango as the name of the beer suggests. Pours a hazy golden yellow-orange with a small head that quickly subsides. Some mango in the nose with grassy hops, some breadiness and some yeasty, spicy notes. Favor is quite light with noticeable mango, slight hoppiness and pilsner malts. Moutheel is very crisp and refreshing with vibrant effervescence. Very nice kolsch. Overall rating B+

 

Now drinking a beer that has beer sitting at the back of my refrigerator for over a year. This is Ballast Point's 'Piper Down', a Scottish ale. It pours a deep brown/mahogany color with a one finger head. Lots of sweet caramel malts in the aroma. Flavor is sweet, but much less than most Scottish ales. Some sweet caramel malts in the flavor as well, with some roasted, smoky notes in the finish. Body is on the light end of medium. Overall Rating B+

 

that was my first thought when i saw the picture, i was like "what the fuck is this?"
i never heard of this one though but i would try it if i did see it.
i heard the 19% one is only available on tap, not sure if that has changed or if it was even true.
rootbeer is by far my favorite soda and i was dissapointed because it dosnt taste like a good rootbeer.

 

only seen the 5% here.. now if it was 10% I might have to try it..

 

This is a good beer. Why did you let it sit in your fridge for a year lol?

 

This is my first introduction to Almanac Beer Co. out of San Francisco, California. This is their 'Hoppy Sour Equinox' from their 'Farm to Barrel' series. It is a sour blonde ale aged in oak barrels and dry-hopped with Equinox hops. Pours a beautiful hazy golden-yellow color with a head that vanishes quickly. Up front there is a lot of brettanomyces funk and some horse blanket in the nose, with a fair amount of sour fruits, some mango and papaya. Lots of tart citrus in the taste with a hop finish that is very dry. The mouthfeel is crisp, and overall this is a very nice, refreshing sour that finishes dry as all good sours should. Overall rating: A-

 

Same brewery, same style, different beer. This is Almanac's Mandarina. A farmhouse ale/saison brewed with tangerines and oranges. Pours a cloudy orange with one-finger head. Aroma is of sour citrus with some clove-like phenols and some floral hop notes. Flavor is much the same as the nose with lots of lemon, pineapple and tangerine along with some yeasty notes and herbal hops. Mouthfeel is light to medium with a fair amount of carbonation. Overall another crisp and refreshing sour suited for warm weather consumption. Overall rating: A-

 

Got 6 growlers during my last trip to NJ a few days ago. Stopped at 4 different breweries. And...I have no idea which beers are which. Usually they right the name on the cap but only one word so sometimes it's hard to tell.
So I am drinking something dark from either iron hill or 16th mile.. possibly mispillion.

 

Now drinking a beer from my favorite UK brewery, this is Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot Ale, perhaps the best fruit beer I have had to date. This is like apricot nectar. It is a sweet beer, but in the best possible way. Pours a nice hazy honey color with a decent head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma is almost pure apricot. Really a juicy apricot aroma to this beer with some faint bready malts. Flavor is of juicy, sweet apricot, some wheat and slight bready, biscuit malts. Mouthfeel is medium and quite creamy. Overall an incredible fruit beer. Overall rating: A

 

Moving on to another beer from the opposite end of the flavor spectrum, this was once one of my favorite beers -- one which I have not had in ages. It's a German beer called Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock. It is a Maibock/Helles Bock style of beer. This is a very malt dominant beer that is malty and sweet as opposed to hoppy and bitter. Being a bock beer, it is a bottom-fermented lager beer. Pours a nice, amber/brown color with a small, quickly vanishing head. Lots of sweet malts in the nose, along with some toffee, bready malts and earthy hops. There is also a good amount of skunk from the green bottle. Flavor is of toffee, caramel and some toasty malts, as well as some earthy, herbal hops in the finish. Mouthfeel is somewhat slick and syrupy with low carbonation.

I also love the bottle this beer comes in.

Overall rating: B+

 

Moving on to what is no doubt my final beer of the night (yes, I am calling it an early night), ending it on a rather simple but nevertheless tasty note. This is from Jack's Abby out of Massachusetts. It's their 'Sunny Ridge' pilsner. Jack's Abby is known for their well-crafted lagers, and this is just one among many awesome beers they brew. The beer pours a slightly hazy pale yellow. Lots of pilsner malts in the aroma with some bready, cracker-like notes. Some subtle lemon and floral notes as well with a clean, earthy hop aroma. Taste is of sweet pilsner malts and earthy hops. Overall a very clean, easy drinking lager that is brimming with flavor. Body is light to medium with rather assertive carbonation. This is probably one of the better pilsners I have had. Overall rating: A

 

Starting the night off with a big beer, this is 'Vanilla Shake' from Mikkeller out of Denmark. This is part of their Beer Geek Breakfast series. It is a 13% ABV imperial oatmeal stout brewed with coffee and vanilla. This 11.2 oz bottle retails for $10, but my friend who owns the beer store I went to today gave it to me for half the amount. Poured as dark and opaque as motor oil into my Delirium Tremens tulip glass with a pretty lively light brown head that went down after a few minutes to leave a fine layer of creamy foam lacing. Lots of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate notes in the nose with some vanilla as well. Some alcohol is present too. Flavor is simultaneously sweet and bitter with lots of dark chocolate, coffee and roasted malts. Bitterness lingers in the finish, along with the vanilla, which comes across as rather subtle but still present. A very intensely flavorful beer. There is some warmth and astringency coming from the alcohol. Mouthfeel is slightly viscous and syrupy. Overall this would make for an outstanding dessert beer that would pair nicely with something rich and chocolaty.

Overall rating: A+

 

Matt, you should start a review blog. You like to write, to evaluate, and to analyze. Seems like a natural next step for an born reviewer.

 

After letting my palate recover a bit from the last beer, I am now drinking what may just be not only my favorite beer from Singlecut to date, but my favorite double IPA period. This is their Billy Full-Stack IPA, a double/imperial IPA clocking in at 8.2% ABV. This is a citrus hop bomb. It pours a cloudy, unfiltered golden-tangerine color. TONS of grapefruit in the nose of this beer with some tangerine, pineapple, peach and stone fruit. Very juicy, citrus hop profile with subdued bitterness makes this an incredibly easy drinking double IPA . Some pine notes are present, but quite faint to the citrus and tropical tones. The beer finishes crisp and rather dry with a light-medium mouthfeel. Overall a world-class IPA. This beer easily gets an A+ from me. On BeerAdvocate it scores a 96:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30452/89202/

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually do write reviews online on BeerAdvocate. Perhaps I should start my own beer blog, though.